Officer rescues snowy owl from prison barbed wire

A snowy owl that had become trapped in barbed wire in a perimeter fence at the Smithfield prison in Huntingdon was rescued on Christmas Day.

Pennsylvania Game Commission officer Amanda Isett used a crate, a net and an Army blanket to coax the bird out.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the owl escaped with only some minor skin tears and a few missing feathers. The owl is being treated at Centre Wildlife Care in Port Matilda, near Penn State University.

The juvenile male owl is expected to make a full recovery and will be released once its feathers grow back.